Believe it or not, there are more people gathering and spending time on social networks than in travel agencies or tourist information sites. Still don’t believe it? So keep an eye on the numbers. According to a global study published in 2015, Facebook has 1.4 billion active users, Twitter has registered 284 million accounts, Google+ exceeds 343 million users and more than 1 billion unique users visit the YouTube portal monthly. In addition, Internet users spend approximately two hours and twenty-five minutes visiting various social networks throughout the day.
In addition to this, review sites such as TripAdvisor, Yelp and Google have brought about a revolution in hotel reviews, meaning that all hotels must actively manage their social reputation if they want to have control over their product and online image.
The truth is that these numbers and facts impress anyone, including us. But, at the same time, they show the great opportunity that savvy hotels have to acquire potential customers by transforming viewer users into buyer users.
There are different ways to successfully use social networks in the hotel business with the objective of
increasing direct bookings on the website (direct bookings)
and, therefore, increase profitability. We tell you the premises that work best for us with our clients.
Create a blog that functions as a repository for all the online content you create. In this way, you can invite users of the main social networks, such as Facebook or Twitter, or share videos and photos of the hotel on YouTube and Flickr.
Feed a YouTube channel with impactful and inspiring videos. Take advantage of audiovisual content to tell interesting stories that engage and inform the user instead of just promoting the brand.
Create Facebook and Twitter accounts to have an active presence and analyze all your customers’ comments. It offers answers provided in a short period of time. Take advantage of any comments to create an opportunity even if they are negative. You can also include information and offers, but without going overboard to avoid being considered spam.
Design and foster a collaborative culture in content creation, so that content comes from both hotel staff and guests(user generated content).
